Buildings at the Homestead Valley Park in Landers have recently suffered a rash of vandalism. The repairs to fix the vandalism are costly. The Homestead Valley Community Council needs to replenish the bank account so there will be funds for the 3rd of July fireworks show. The Council will hold a live music event tonight Saturday, February 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Yucca Mesa Community Center. There will be live music; $10 buys entrance and two beverages.

Bingo at the Sportsman’s Club Sunday, February 16, will benefit the Yucca Valley High School Music Department. The doors will open at 3 p.m., with early bird bingo starting at 4:30. The final game will end about 9 p.m. There will also be raffles. The music department is looking for items to include in the raffle. The Sportsman’s Club is at 6225 Sunburst Street in Joshua Tree. Players must be 18 years old to play. Cost is about $25 for all the games.

Constance Gordy, a classically-trained pianist, performs at the 13th annual Spahetti Dinner fundraiser at the Yucca valley United Methodist Church tonight. Dinner is served from 5 to 7. Gluten-free pasta is available. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 or younger, or $25 for a family ticket. The Church is located at 57273 Onaga Trail.

Casting is complete for the second production at Theatre 29, the Morongo Basin’s premiere playhouse. “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery: Murder at Checkmate Manor,” directed by theater veteran Marty Neider, is a comedy by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jr. about a drama group that experiences the horrors of what can go wrong on opening night. The scenery collapses, cues are missed, lines forgotten, and the sound effects take on a strange note at times, as the ladies present their ambitious evening’s entertainment with the cunning whodunit, “Murder At Checkmate Manor.” And just in case the audience should get bored, there’s a Film and Fashion Show and Murder Mystery Quiz, complete with a prize. The crunch comes in the denouement, when the “murderer,” about to be revealed, has to rush home to bandage up an injured daughter. But Mrs. Reece, doyenne of the group, rises above the slings and arrows of outrageous dramatics to save the situation and provide the final inventive twist. Managing editor Tami Roleff starts naming names …

Donette Swain has been cast as Phoebe Reece, who herself plays five different roles in “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery: Murder at Checkmate Manor.” Char Childs plays Thelma Greenwood, who has two roles in the play within a play. Mandi Pushkar is cast as Audrey Forbes-Farguahar, who has four roles; Amanda Winters will portray Felicity Crabtree, who is cast as two actors. Also cast in the play are Curtis Mohn and Brianna Sears as stagehands, and Leonard Weber as the Inspector. The Farndale Murder Mystery opens at Theatre 29 February 28 and runs for five weekends, with 2:30 Sunday matinees March 9 and 23. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

In “The Artificial Jungle,” the sociopathic Roxanne schemes to bump off Chester Nurdiger, her pet-store owner husband. Chester uses ventriloquism to sell a mute parrot to an unsuspecting cop, and the piranhas are forever rattling their aquarium. As if things weren’t sleazy enough, a mysterious drifter named Zachary Slade responds to the help-wanted sign in the pet shop’s window and insinuates himself into this dysfunctional household. Roxanne develops a thing for Zachary, and they conspire to buy her husband a fat new life insurance policy. The Artificial Jungle is a clever, engaging, and wonderfully ridiculous spoof of “Double Indemnity,” “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” and other film noir classics.

This production is directed by multiple Desert Theatre League award winner Wendy Cohen. It features Julie Scott as Roxanne, Brandan Greenwood as Chester, John Linn as Zachary, Vicki Montgomery as Mother Nurdiger, Joy Groves as Mrs. Muncie, and Heather Anderson as the Piranhas. Darin Eldridge will handle lighting and sound.

With only 22 seats in the intimate theatre, early reservations are a must.

Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). The play will be performed Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for four weekends – Saturday, February 15, through Sunday, March 9. Tickets for all seats are $12. For reservations call 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.

If you’re still lusting for live theater –there’s more. Mike Lipsitz invites you to enjoy “On Golden Pond”…

The St. Joseph’s Players production of the classic comedy/drama “On Golden Pond,” opens Friday, February 21, in the Parish Hall at the St. Joseph of Arimathea Church at Onaga Tr. & Church St. “On Golden Pond,” opened on Broadway in 1979 and has since become an American theatrical classic. Rebecca Havely directs. The opening night Gala is sold out. Tickets are available for regular performances which are Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from February 22 to March 16. Tickets are $10 or $8 for Military, Students & Seniors (55+), available at The Silk Purse in Twentynine Palms and Wind Walkers in Joshua Tree, as well as from church and cast members. To reserve your seats, call 760-365-7133; leave your name and phone number; you will receive a call back to complete your reservation.

Local botanist and native plant expert Robin Kobaly will be the featured speaker at a presentation hosted by the Mojave Water Agency. Kobaly will discuss “Surrounded by Ancients,” about the long-lived native plants of the southwest, how to estimate their age, and how they can enhance desert landscaping. The lecture will be held Tuesday, March 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at MWA offices in Apple Valley. To register to attend, call Gloria at 760-946-7001 by March 24.

If you’re taking advantage of President’s Day sales and buying new TVs, computers, or other electronic equipment, and need to get rid of your old ones, you can drop them off for recycling in Twentynine Palms. Cardinal Van and Storage, 73873 Calle Todd Road, just off Adobe Road, will accept e-waste, such as televisions; computers, laptops, and computer components; fax machines, copiers, or printers and their ink cartridges and toners; video game consoles; cameras; VCR and DVD players; cell phones and telephone equipment; and mp3 players. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 to 4. For residents in Yucca Valley, bring them to Burrtec off Old Woman Springs Road. For more information in Twentynine Palms, call 760-367-7562 extension 105. For Yucca Valley, call 760-365-2015.

Students from all local high schools are invited to participate in the 2014 Four-Way Test Speech Contest, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Yucca Valley. Students must be high school students or home study students at high school level and live within Rotary District 5330. Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place, and the winner will advance to the mid-level competition for a chance to win additional prizes. The speech contest is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27 at Joshua Springs Christian School. Students must register by March 20. For more information, or to register, call Ignazio Ficara at 760-365-7000.